


Nothing Lasts Forever

by annamariestark



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 19:22:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19893034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annamariestark/pseuds/annamariestark
Summary: Asra proposes to the apprentice a week before their fight about leaving Vesuvia.More angst prompted by a late night powwow on Discord





	Nothing Lasts Forever

Asra remembered the night with perfect clarity. They’d gone to Nopal for a weekend away. He’d had purchased the ring the week before. Simple, as he knew Anna liked: a square emerald in a silver setting. She wasn’t one for finery or much jewelry at all, save the things he’d given her through the years. 

They’d arrived midafternoon, and after washing up and putting away the items from dinner, they reclined on the bed, her head resting against his chest as he held her.

“Anna?” He whispered, a very slight quaver in his voice.

“Hmm?” She peered up at him, pulling loose from his grip on her just a bit to push hair out of her face. “Something wrong?”

“Far from it, actually. Everything has been so right. I can’t imagine life without you, I really can’t. You’ve made everything so much brighter since you came along, and I love you so, so much. He released his grip on her entirely, sitting up and turning to face her. Confused, she pulled herself into a sitting position.

“I love you too…” She began to fidget with one of the scarves tied around her waist. “What is this all about?” She was admittedly a bit bewildered by this speech out of nowhere.

“I have a question for you.”

“What is it? Are you sure everything is okay?”

He pulled the ring from his pocket, eliciting a deep gasp from her.

“Will you marry me?” He asked breathlessly. Gods, it felt good to get those words out, they’d been on the tip of his tongue for years. She gaped at him for a moment before answering.

“I… Yes! Absolutely, I will.” He took her hand, gently sliding the ring onto her finger.

_Now kiss!_ Faust piped up from wherever she was hiding. Asra blushed bright red before leaning in to kiss Anna passionately. When he broke away, he was beaming, a sparkle in his violet eyes from the moonlight streaming in the window. His smile was contagious, and Anna found herself grinning from ear to ear. They went to sleep that night holding each other tightly.

A week later, they found themselves in a shouting match.

“We need to leave Vesuvia,” he pleaded. “The plague is reaching massive proportions. We need to be safe.”

“I’m fine, I’ll be fine. I want to stay. I want to help.”

“You can’t!” He struck the counter of the shop with his fist. I don’t want either of us to be victims. You could _die,_ Anna! This isn’t a damn game!”

“Nothing lasts forever, Asra! I could die tonight in my sleep. I’m going to die someday. I’m not worried, I’ll be careful.” He grabbed hold of her wrist.

“No. We have to leave tonight.”

She jerked her arm back. “If you want to leave, then leave. I’m staying here.”

“Fine! I’ll just go then!”

“Good! Run away from your problems, that seems to be your favorite thing to do, anyway!”

He hurriedly left the shop after throwing some things into his travel satchel. She watched him go without so much as a goodbye between them.

Two more weeks passed. Anna had gone to Doctor Devorak to offer her apprenticeship. The days were long and the work hard, and she found it was difficult to get used to the smell of death constantly hanging in the air. She returned to the shop often to check on things, but left it closed. Seemingly out of nowhere, three weeks after Asra had gone, Anna developed a nagging cough. The next morning, she was coughing blood clots, felt such a heavy feeling in her bones that she could scarcely drag herself from bed. After a colossal effort, she heaved herself off her cot. She hastily scribbled a note to Julian.

**Back soon. – Anna**

She knew she wouldn’t be back, but she didn’t want to worry anyone. It had been her choice to stay. She was going to die, and it was her own fault.

_I should have listened to Asra._

She found her way home in a near-stupor. As she unlocked the door to the shop, she caught a glimpse of herself in the windows. The telltale red was starting to creep into her eyes. She stumbled inside and fished around for a bit before finding a piece of parchment and a pencil.

**Asra, I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. I love you. – Anna**

Slowly, she slid the engagement ring off her finger and placed it on top of the note on the shop counter. She found she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. This was it, this was the end of the line. She left the shop sobbing, knowing the next step. The tears never stopped, not on the boat to the Lazaret, not as she stood in front of the crematorium, waiting her turn, listening to the screams of the ones who went before her.

Asra had gone back to Nopal to be away from Anna. He hated to have left her. He was just beginning to turn in for the night when he noticed a skittering sound coming from his compass on the windowsill. The pointer swung wildly before settling firmly to point towards Vesuvia. He was off in an instant, the beast carrying him as fast as it could. When they arrived at the outskirts of town, he leapt from its back, setting a breakneck speed to the docks. The compass pointed directly at the Lazaret. He stumbled in shock.

“It can’t be right. It can’t be.” He mumbled to himself. His next stop was the shop. He was disheartened to find a thick layer of dust covering everything. His eyes flew to the note on the counter.

_Her ring. Oh no. No, no, no. Please, gods, no._ A guttural sob wrenched itself free from his lungs. He found himself not much time later on a boat out to that godforsaken island. The compass led him to the beach, where he could just faintly make out Anna’s aura, circling a freshly dumped pile of ashes. He dug for an hour, the hot ashes scorching his hands. He didn’t stop, even though his fingers had begun to bleed. Finally, he came across a moonstone, hidden deep in the ashes. He could still feel traces of her magic on it.

_She’s gone. She’s gone and it’s all my fault. I’ll never forgive myself for this, never._

He screamed into the night, sobbing, bargaining with the gods to bring her back. But he knew, deep down in his heart, that she was truly gone.


End file.
